This is the only official book to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the greatest rock and roll band of all time. Never before have the Rolling Stones been so involved in a book of this kind; this intimate portrait is the result of months of collaboration with Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie. Superb reportage photography from "Mirrorpix" and "The Daily Mirror" - the largest newspaper archive of Rolling Stones photography - documents all of the albums, gigs and dramas in the bands unique, international history. The stuff of legend, much of this material has never been seen before. Curated by Richard Havers, one of the worlds leading authorities on the Rolling Stones, it is interspersed with specially commissioned photography of the best and rarest items from one of the greatest collections of Stones memorabilia in the world, as well as featuring the work of legendary photographers such as Gered Mankowitz, Ethan Russell, Bent Rej, Ian Wright and Philip Townsend - the appointed photographer for their first ever shoot.

Here's some more info on the book of photos from the Daily Mirror archive.

Thames & Hudson is celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Rolling Stones by publishing a title drawing on the Daily Mirror's archive of photographs of the group, and with all band members - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts -contributing material.

The Rolling Stones: 50 has an initial print run of 250,000 copies worldwide, and will be a £29.95 hardback, with 700 illustrations (300 in colour). The title will be released on 12th July -exactly 50 years since the band's first public appearance, at the Marquee Club on Oxford Street, central London. The book will include archive photos from the Mirror, as well as never-before-seen memorabilia, with the project to be overseen by Watts, and each band member writing content to tell the band's story.

To support publication, the Mirror will run daily stories on the Stones over the week beginning 8th July, with T&H head of illustrated reference Tristan de Lancey saying: "We'll be inviting booksellers around the country to celebrate with the Stones by providing branded packs for them to throw birthday parties and create anniversary displays."

Other publishers are also marking the anniversary, with Simon & Schuster's The Rolling Stones: Fifty Years - written by Christopher Sandford, who has already written biographies of Jagger and Richards -to be released as a £20 hardback on 26th April. Titles already out include Omnibus Press' Butterfly on a Wheel: The Great Rolling Stones Drugs Bust by Simon Wells (pb, £14.95), and Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Rock by Howard Kramer (Krause Publications, hb, £20).

The Rolling Stones are releasing a book to mark their fiftieth anniversary on 12th July 1962, The Rolling Stones: 50.

The Rolling Stones and Thames & Hudson can now reveal that for the past few months they have been working together with the Daily Mirror to create a truly groundbreaking and memorable anniversary book to celebrate 50 years of the greatest rock‘n’roll band in the world.

The book has been made possible by privileged access to superb reportage photography from the Daily Mirror’s archive, the largest newspaper collection of Rolling Stones photography, most of it hitherto unseen. The images tell their fifty-year history like it’s never been told before. This photographic autobiography features images selected by the band accompanied by their own words. The photographers include Gered Mankowitz, Jean-Marie Périer,Dezo Hoffman, Michael Cooper, Terry O’Neill, Bent Rej and Philip Townsend – the photographer for their first ever shoot.

"This remarkable book is the band’s thank you to their fans all over the world. Its publication on 12 July 2012 will be on the anniversary of the band’s first ever gig, and will be part of a year long celebration of the rock‘n’roll royalty that the Rolling Stones have become".

QuoteThe Joker"This remarkable book is the band’s thank you to their fans all over the world. Its publication on 12 July 2012 will be on the anniversary of the band’s first ever gig, and will be part of a year long celebration of the rock‘n’roll royalty that the Rolling Stones have become".

I need a fortune teller, here.

It is a bit strange that when the band is thanking me, I need to consult my credit card...

QuoteGazzaDoubt its as simple as that. I mean, if someone were to compile a 'Stones in Their own words' type retrospective of quotes down the years, you could describe the band members as 'authors'.

Its not as if theyve sat down and written a book together.

I'm sure you right that they didn't sit down and write the book side by side. But they must have agreed to act as authors to this book (compiled by some ghostrider or ghostcompiler) - and that is kind of a statement too, don't you think (though it might not be heartfelt...).

Not really, to be honest.

Even if it is new interviews (let alone something they've written, which is unlikely) its not as if they even have to be in the same continent for it, let alone the same room. This looks like the details havent been finalised yet, no doubt others will be credited as 'authors' too.

QuoteThe Joker"This remarkable book is the band’s thank you to their fans all over the world. Its publication on 12 July 2012 will be on the anniversary of the band’s first ever gig, and will be part of a year long celebration of the rock‘n’roll royalty that the Rolling Stones have become".

I need a fortune teller, here.

I used to cringe hard whenever anyone called The Stones "rock and roll royalty". Now they've just called themselves that.